page_title: Haplogroup G-M377
section_title: Hunza
hierarchical_section_title: Haplogroup G-M377 / Afghanistan / Hunza
caption_attribution_description: English: This is a map of Karakoram Highway, the road that links the Northern Areas of Pakistan to the Xinjiang province of China, connecting it to the old Silk Road.
context_page_description: Haplogroup G2b-M377 is a Y-chromosome haplogroup and is defined by the presence of the M377 mutation. It is a branch of Haplogroup G2, which in turn is defined by the presence of the M201 mutation.
  G2b is a major Y chromosome haplogroup, and yet unique. It was found among Pashtuns, who are classified as Iranic and on much lower scale among all major Jewish groups, Palestinians, Lebanese and Syrians G2b presents more mysteries regarding its origin and distribution than virtually any other major Y haplogroup. Haplogroups that are rare in certain regions are more common in another, and have rather clear origins in other places where they are more commonly found. G2b has none of these obvious characteristics. Until the Second World War it was most common by far in Eastern Europe, a region where it arrived comparatively recently, but rare in other regions; including its likely area of origin. The distribution of G2b is sparse and dispersed, with almost no G2b haplotypes found in very large intervening regions. This pattern appears to be unique among Y haplogroups.
context_section_description: Hunza was an important stop on the Silk Road from the Near East to China. The fertile Hunza Valley was the last resting point before the Khunjerab Pass (el. 4693 m./15397 ft.) which was the highest point on the southern route of the Silk Road from Iran, the Indian Ocean ports of the Makran Coast in Pakistan, to the Kashgar oasis in the Gobi Desert of western China. Among the Burusho South Asian Y haplogroups predominate, but there are some representatives of Central Asian (C-M217) and East Asian (O3) haplogroups as well. Sengupta et al. (2006) found the Burushos to be completely lacking in haplogroup G2a, which is well represented among the nearby Kalash and Pashtun populations.
caption: Map showing the Karakorum Highway, which passes through the main towns of Hunza, Baltit and the capital of Hunza Karimabad (formerly Baltit), and follows the route of the southern Silk Road.
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